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Written by Dr. Binoy Kampmark
Despite much grandstanding in the Biden administration about halting specific arms shipments to Israel over feigned concerns about how they might be used (inflicting death is the expected form), US military supplies have been restored with barely a murmur. In a report in Haaretz on August 29, a rush of weapons to Israel has been noticed since the end of July.
August proved to be the second busiest month for US arms deliveries to Israel’s Nevatim Airbase since the October 2023 attacks by Hamas. This has taken place alongside an increased concentration of US forces in the region since Israel’s assassinations of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh at the end of last month. Two aircraft carriers, a guided missile submarine, and deployments of advanced F-22 stealth aircraft in Qatar, have featured in a show intended to deter Tehran from any retaliatory strikes.
After examining open-source aviation data from the end of July, Haaretz concluded that the issue of delayed shipments of US weapons had “been solved.”
Dozens of flights by US military transport planes, along with civilian and military Israeli cargo planes, mostly from Qatar and the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, had been noted. Demands by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his July 24 speech to Congress that US military aid be “dramatically” expedited to “end the war in Gaza and help prevent a broader war in the Middle East”, had been heeded.
On August 26, Israel received its 500th aerial shipment of weapons and military supplies from the United States since the latest war’s commencement. The 500 flights have also been supplemented by 107 sea shipments, altogether facilitating the transfer of 50,000 tons of military equipment in an initiative between the US military, Israel’s Defence Ministry’s Directorate of Production and Procurement and Mission to the United States, the IDF’s planning Directorate and the Israeli Air Force.
During the same month, the Democratic National Convention, which saw no debate about the candidature of Kamala Harris as its choice for presidential candidate, had tepidly promised some agitation on continued arms to Israel. Ahead of the event, the Uncommitted movement’s 30 delegates, picked by voters alarmed by US support for Israel’s war machine in Gaza, were hoping to convince the 4,000 pledged delegates Harris had captured to add an arms embargo to its campaign in order to induce a ceasefire.
A petition by the group sought two outcomes: the adding of language to both the party and campaign platform “that unequivocally supports a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a cessation of supplying weapons for Israel’s assault and occupation against Palestinians.”
These wishes proved much too salty for the apparatchiks and party managers. The Democratic Party’s 2024 national platform ironically enough begins with an effusive “land acknowledgment” to “the ancestors and descendants of Tribal Nations” but plays it safe regarding an ally very much the product of territorial seizure, violence and occupation. Despite mutterings in the party room about a split between moderate and progressive members on Israel’s conduct of the war, the topic of a ceasefire never made it to the committee hearings when the document was drafted.
In firmly insisting on continued US support for Israel in its war against Hamas, much is made in the platform about US efforts to forge a way that will see a release of the hostages, “a durable ceasefire”, the easing of “humanitarian suffering in Gaza” and the “possible normalization between Israel and key Arab states, together with meaningful progress and a political horizon for the Palestinian people.” The language is instructive: the Palestinians are objects of pitiful charity, at the mercy of Israel, the US, and various Arab states. Like toddlers, they are to be managed, steered, guided, their political choices forever mediated through the wishes of other powers.
With Israel remaining Washington’s paramount ally in the Middle East, that process of steering and managing the unruly Palestinians has been, thus far, lethal. During her first interview given after the convention (she has an aversion to them), Harris scotched any suggestions on going wobbly on Israel. “I’m unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defence and its ability to defend itself, and that’s not going to change,” she told CNN’s Dana Bush. In what has become a standard refrain, Harris lamented that “far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed” while acknowledging Israel’s right to self-defence.
When asked whether she would alter President Biden’s policy on furnishing military assistance to Israel, “No” came the reply.
“We have to get a deal done. The war must end, and we must get a deal that is about getting the hostages out. I’ve met with the families of the American hostages. Let’s get the hostages out. Let’s get the ceasefire done.”
This middle-management lingo says much about Harris’s worldview; in wishing to “get the ceasefire done”, she is encouraging a range of factors that will make sure nothing of the sort will be achieved. The Netanyahu formula has worked its usual black magic. Hence, the lack of an arms embargo, and the continued, generous supply to the IDF from their largest military benefactor.
Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He currently lectures at RMIT University. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG). Email: bkampmark@gmail.com
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they run out of bombs for killing babies. usa will send them some more. all muslims should remember this and kick out all arab rulers allied with us.
from the river to the sea palestine will cry and flee, in the river and in the sea palestine will fall and pee.
from river to the sea, palestine will be nazi-zionist free.
from the river to the sea, palestine will be shlomo free. shlomo has forfeited whatever claim he may have had to live in palestine. hey ho, shlomo has to go.
no muslim should ever go in macdonalds or starbucks or drink coca cola.
no one serious considers israel as being separate from the us despite of all the political theater and “differences of opinion.” which are just that: political theater for public consumption.
israel is not a vassal: it is an extension of the us. and both are ruled by the same trillionaire-class of banking global elites.
so this is just a strategic arms transference from the continental / mainland to its own middle east territory.
how many times do you need to be told? king charles is king of israel wake up.
the monarchies, including the british monarchy, became clients of the state once the rothschilds took over the global financial system during the industrial revolution. they are the true rulers of the world. and the monarchs are their investors.
very true. at the end of the day, regardless of lip service; the us protects israel and vetoes any attempt to hold them accountable at the security council.
nato would have to pay for its evils in the next 30 years. wow if it survives
yes james i agree. but neighter nato, nor russia, nor the europeans or the britsh people are the problem. this here is what everybody needs to know. see: https://2cm.es/idol6 if afterwards still positive about israel & jews – it’s likely just because of complete stupidity or being jewish oneself. wake up mankind !!! before it’s too late !!!
oh grow up.
evil is subjective in this domain of propaganda and poliiticisation for profits it takes two to tango. admittedly one is the perpetrator instigator manipulator one profits the most. no matter the outcome.
morality being relative is one of the biggest demonic lies. there is right and wrong. unchecked greed always backfires and is counterproductive. that is the reason every empire falls: unchecked hubris and greed.
it definitely won’t survive. it’s going to be brutally slaughtered and its corpse disintegrated.
i saw the figures for profits, from the war for last financial year and as, expected lockheed boeing raytheon are doing very well.
king charles is king of england and the isles israel canada australia new zealand and south africa. yes. nothing is what it seems he is head of the commonwealth of nations over 50 countries he is the king or head of the greatest kingdom on this planet today over 2 billion subjects disguised as citizens of here or there if you actually know anything about the law you will know that today bri g a citizen is actually a very terrible thing.
when was the last time the united states promoted peace instead of war?
my name is ebubekir ebdulla el zefiri. i am pakistan i am 53 i live germany 10 years munchen. after ukraina war refugees from ukraina, germany pays less money for our kids. why? ukraina kids 500 euro, muslim kids 300 euro? why. mr.sholz go we dont want you. angela merkel mother of muslims again prezident yes. danke angela. no more money to ukraina kids all kids same money. i have 6 children germany pays me 3000 euro ukranian father 6 kids 5000 euro we want justice. same money
the arab world needs to understand that this is the year the ‘fun’ needs to stop, and unfortunately they are stubborn and stupid and the only thing they really understand is the threat of a loaded gun barrel aimed in their direction. israelis need to be doing their pushups, map studies, power eating, weight curls, marksmanship practice, so forth and so on, so that if any aggressor force sets foot on their lands, it will be answered promptly and decisively.
shlomo isn’t doing any push ups. he’s bugging out to avoid the call up like nutteryahoo’s son living it up in florida. the haredis who make up half the population aren’t interested either. they’ve already got their flights out booked for when the call up papers arrive. 40% of the shlomo tik tok army are wimmin and the rest are faggots. that’s why nutteryahoo went to get his boots licked recently by all the goy whores in congress to do the fighting for him.or else he’s f**d.
the mic was never happier with the deal of selling arms to murder families and getting children to rape from jews too. what a deal! good job to all the chumps enabling this grotesque evil. everyone gets a pat on the back for a job well done.
these proxy wars in ukraine and gaza have left the western regimes armed forces stripped bare. the uk diverse army is down to 70,000 gays, lgbts, trannies, wimmin and an infinite assortment of 3rd worlders. no “useless white men” wanted. it has no artillery or ammunition left. there were 32x155mm self propelled guns, but they all went to ukraine, and are now rusting scrap in a moscow knacker’s yard. the same goes for the frogs and the huns – they’ve got nothing left.
the amerikunts have been cleaned out as well. 500 plane loads and 107 ship loads supplied to israel completely buckshee and gratis to enable the gaza genocide have emptied their inventories. the united snakes and its vassals have been completely demilitarised. protecting talmudistan from the april missile attack cost the us $4billion. captain mainwaring and the walmington-on-sea platoon are now a more potent fighting force than all the western armies combined.